Kudan and ADLINK have developed an autonomous mobile robot (AMR) prototype and launched partnership to expand its presence in AMR applications
08.03.2021
Kudan Inc. (headquarters in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; CEO Daiu Ko, hereafter “Kudan”) is pleased to announce that Kudan and ADLINK Technology Inc. (hereafter “ADLINK”), a global leader in edge computing, have launched partnership activities targeting autonomous mobile robot (AMR) applications to bring a powerful combination of ADLINK hardware and Kudan Visual SLAM (KdVisual) software for AMR developers to accelerate their development and create more reliable solutions. Kudan and ADLINK have developed an AMR prototype using Kudan Visual SLAM and ADLINK ROSCube with higher accuracy and tracking capabilities than 2D-Lidar SLAM solutions. By leveraging the complementary technologies from each company, they are positioned to deliver unmatched performance and reliability for robots in the AMR market.
The ADLINK ROScube Series is the world’s first ROS 2-enabled robotic controller that provides a powerful, scalable solution for robotic applications from mainstream to high-end. It also features exceptional real-time Input/Output (I/O) connectivity supporting a wide variety of sensors and actuators to meet the needs of real-time robotic applications.
Increasing demands for AMRs leads to the necessity of robust and accurate localization across a wider variety of environments beyond relatively static factories. Busy and dynamic environments require continuous 3D information to keep robots aware of their precise location and surroundings. Even though 3D lidar prices have been going down, stereo cameras and cameras with depth-sensing are still more affordable than the majority of 3D lidars, so it is the primary sensor for 3D perception in robots, especially in low to mid-range AMRs. However, there are very few combinations of a camera, processing board, and Visual SLAM software that are easy to integrate and operate reliably in these challenging environments.
With the support from ADLINK engineers, Kudan engineers have built an AMR prototype by integrating an Intel RealSense D455 camera with the ADLINK ROSCube PICO TGL, running Kudan Visual SLAM on ROS on a robot vehicle base. The system utilizes the ROS2 navigation stack on top of the localization provided by KdVisual, and further supports an autonomous obstacle avoidance feature.
Some highlights from the collaboration include;
1. Ease of integration: A tribute to the thoughtful designs of the ROSCube, and KdVisual for ROS based systems, the integration work took less than 2 weeks for one dedicated engineer working from scratch.
2. Greater absolute accuracy: While the benchmark conventional 2D-Lidar SLAM system had ~11cm error, our prototype was able to achieve ~8cm error, under identical environments.
3. Greater repeatable accuracy: Given waypoints on a map, our prototype was able to repeatedly return to these waypoints with sub-centimeter accuracy.
Comments from Eddie Liu, Product Manager of ROSCube at ADLINK:
“There seem to be many open-source Visual SLAM available, but in reality, there are very limited reliable Visual SLAM software in the market for commercial usage, especially on the ROS2 platform. I was positively surprised at the accuracy and robustness of Kudan’s SLAM. I strongly believe the ROSCube and Kudan Visual SLAM combination will bring great value to our AMR OEM customers in both for product competitiveness and reliability, and also for shortening time to market.”
As an ongoing collaboration effort, Kudan and ADLINK will work together to market its solution and extend its reach within the AMR industry.
About ADLINK Technology Inc.
ADLINK Technology Inc. (TAIEX:6166) leads edge computing, the catalyst for a world powered by artificial intelligence. ADLINK manufactures edge hardware and develops edge software for embedded, distributed, and intelligent computing – from powering medical PCs in the intensive care unit to building the world’s first high-speed autonomous racecar – more than 1600 customers around the world trust ADLINK for mission-critical success. ADLINK holds top-tier edge partnerships with Intel, NVIDIA, AWS, and SAS, and also participates on the Intel Board of Advisors, ROS 2 Technical Steering Committee, and Autoware Foundation Board. ADLINK contributes to open source, robotics, autonomous, IoT, and 5G standards initiatives within 24+ consortiums. For over 25 years, with 1800+ ADLINKers and 200+ partners, ADLINK enables the technologies of today and tomorrow. Follow ADLINK Technology on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook or visit adlinktech.com.
About Kudan Inc.
Kudan (Tokyo Stock Exchange securities code: 4425) is a Deep Tech research and development company specializing in algorithms to enable artificial perception (AP). As a complement to artificial intelligence (AI), AP functions allow machines to develop autonomy. Currently, Kudan uses its high-level technical innovation to explore business areas based on its milestone models established for Deep Tech, which provide wide-ranging impact on several major industrial fields. For more information, please refer to Kudan’s website at https://www.kudan.io/.
■Company Details
Name: Kudan Inc.
Securities Code: 4425
Representative: CEO Daiu Ko